Ban on Egypt national team coach appearing in media

Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation banned national football team coach Hossam Hassan from appearing on “all media outlets” on Wednesday, following a case related to his personal life and his ex-wife. Hassan had been at the center of a media spat concerning his personal life, as the dispute with his ex-wife escalated into a public issue, prompting the council to issue decisions it described as “a package related to violations of rules respecting private life,” without specifying any particular infraction or statement attributed to the coach.

Earlier, media reports indicated that Hossam Hassan’s lawyer, Ahmed Amr, and Amir Mansour, filed an official complaint with the Public Prosecutor against his ex-wife, Dina Mustafa, known in the media as “Dan Adam,” which included allegations of forgery of official documents and bigamy. The ex-wife’s first husband and her lawyer denied the validity of these accusations.

In a statement, the council announced it had decided “to ban Hossam Hassan, the technical director of the Egyptian national team, from appearing on all media outlets subject to the provisions of the Press and Media Regulation Law, effective from the date of the decision,” without specifying an end date for the ban. The council also announced the “continuation of the enforcement of the ban on Dan Adam’s appearance on all media outlets.”

Former Egyptian star Mahmoud Abdel Razek, known as Shikabala, who previously played under Hassan at Al Ahly, called for Hassan’s resignation in an interview with MBC 2, saying: “For the first time in the history of the Egyptian national team, I see a commotion surrounding the national team coach, and from someone who loves Captain Hossam, I must say: you should resign.” Shikabala added that the role of national team coach requires a person with authority and a special standing, noting: “The coach of the Egyptian national team must have authority and a strong personality, which we do not see currently. What I am saying has nothing to do with football.”

The decision comes hours before Hassan is expected to announce the Egyptian national team’s squad for two matches against Malawi in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The two teams will meet in Cairo on November 13, followed by a match in Lilongwe four days later.

Hossam Hassan (60) and his brother Ibrahim, the team’s manager, will miss both matches due to a suspension imposed by FIFA, following incidents after Egypt’s Round of 16 World Cup match against Argentina, held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico last summer, in which Hassan led Egypt to the knockout stages for the first time in the country’s history.

FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee banned Hossam Hassan, Egypt’s all-time top scorer, and his brother Ibrahim for three matches, while national team player Mustafa Abd al-Raouf (Zico) received a five-match ban, for protesting the refereeing and making offensive comments after the match, which Argentina won 3-2 in the final moments.